Heino Eller, a composer featured on this album, was the first Estonian composer to successfully combine modernist and national idioms, and taught composition for fifty years.
Historical Context
The Estonian Theatre and Music Museum, which celebrated its hundredth anniversary on March 22, 2024, houses a globally unique collection of nearly all sources and manuscripts of a single national musical culture.
Composition History
Eller's Old Dance, written in 1913, is the first work for cello and keyboard by an Estonian composer, predating Artur Kapp's Prelude for cello and organ by five years.
Performer Biography
Sten Lassmann, the pianist on this album, completed a fifteen-year project recording Heino Eller's complete piano works on nine albums.
Recording & Production
Much of the music on this album was sourced from the archives of the Estonian Theatre and Music Museum, with some pieces played from manuscript or prepared for their first publication.
Album & Artwork
This album is an anthology that promotes and celebrates the wealth and variety of Estonian culture, specifically focusing on cello music.
Instruments
Valle-Rasmus Roots, the cellist on this album, plays a Celeste Farotti cello owned by Maivi Kaljuvee, provided by the Estonian Musical Instrument Foundation.
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